TN Mtns: So... We were flyfishing along 441 . .

. . . in the Smokies. . .

well, I was hiking, they were flyfishing. The plan was that we would drive a little, park in a designated area, fish up the stream, walk back to the car, repeat. The parking areas are a good bit off the stream and you have to do some serious hiking to reach the creeks.

I came across something so odd I thought it surely must be the result of a politician sitting in a pristine office trying to appease a few constituents.

Handicap parking at the trailhead.

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Now, this, my friend, is the trailhead, pictured to your left. There is no other place to go, nothing else to do and only 4 parking spots total.

If one gets one's grandpa out of the car and wheels him up the handicap ramp,

up out of the number one parking spot in a lot that only offers four spots anyway

so none are really too shabby,

but... okay....

say grandpa is wheeled up to the trailhead.

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Then what?

So I just had to come home and do a little research.

You know what's cool -- there are disabled fishermen out there who competitively pursue the sport. (I still don't see why they'd need handicap parking. If they can fish down in that stream right there, then they can park two spots away from the trailhead, I'm sure.)

Here's a link to a story about a guy who fishes single handedly and here's a link to some info about disabled sportsmen. That's pretty amazing. I love that spirit, don't you? Don't let hardship stop you from enjoying life and pursuing your passion.